The mission of the Burlington High School Guidance Department is to support the academic, career, and personal/social development of all students. Through individual and group counseling, collaboration with school, home, and community, and assessment of student needs, we foster responsible decision-making. We strive to help students realize their full academic and personal potential as lifelong learners, engaged community members, and global citizens.
Updated August 2017

Monday, October 31, 2016

"Major Todd Meyers with the Air Force ROTC Program and Detachment 345 will be visiting BHS on Wednesday, November 9th at 10:00 (period 6 that day). He is based out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell while supporting Merrimack College, Rivier University, Middlesex Community College (CC), Northern Essex CC, and formerly Daniel-Webster College. He has offered to talk with any interested students about the Air Force. The UMass – Lowell Detachment is fortunate to have Mr. Gregory Forti (Burlington HS Graduate) in his Second Year of the Program. Since AFROTC is offered at more than 1,100+ colleges/universities nation-wide, he can explain the program and potentially put the prospective college student in contact with the host Detachment. See below for further details about the AFROTC Program and scholarship opportunities.

Students interested in attending this information session should sign up in advance by putting their name on a sign-up sheet on the Guidance Counter. They will then receive a pass that will need to be signed by their period 6 teacher giving them permission to attend the presentation.

Background about the AFROTC Program: AFROTC prepares young men/women to become an Air Force Officer while earning a college degree. AFROTC offers a wide variety of scholarships (including tuition, most lab fees, annual textbook allowance and a monthly cash stipend up to $500) and our Cadets on scholarship don’t incur military obligation until their sophomore year. We have three scholarship types:

Friday, October 21, 2016

The Guidance Department will host a breakfast called “College Topics for Senior Parents”. The purpose of this breakfast is so the counseling staff can give a very brief overview of important tasks associated with the college selection and application process. This event is geared for parents that missed the Senior College Planning Night on 10/6/16. Please join us for this informative event on October 26th at 8:30 AM in the BHSGuidanceCollege and CareerCenter. Parent's MUST RSVP by calling 781-270-1780.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

On Wednesday October 26th from 6:30 -8:30 p.m., a college fair will be held at the Shriner's Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. The Burlington High School Guidance Department co-sponsors the event with many other Middlesex League High Schools. Usually over one-hundred colleges will attend. A college fair can be a very overwhelming experience for parents and students. The National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) has developed a very helpful tips. We also recommend bringing a pre-determined list of colleges. Make it a priority to visit the schools on your list, then time permitting check out some others. Please remember you are not obligated to stay the whole time, many students spend about an hour at the event. Below is the most up to date list of colleges attending:

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Join us for an entertaining, informative, and stress-reducing presentation by a national expert in higher education.This presentation is aimed at students in 8th through 11th grade.Students are encouraged to attend with their parents.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Senior College Planning Night was well attended with roughly 125 parents. The BHS Guidance staff covered many aspects of the college planning and application process were covered. For parents that missed the event, BCAT will stream the event within the next few weeks. Informational packets were distributed to all that attended. If you would like to pick up a packet please feel free to stop by the Guidance Office.

Also for parents that missed this event we will hold our annual "College Topics for Parents of Seniors" breakfast on October 26th at 8:30 AM in the BHS Guidance College and Career Center. This informative event will cover the various topics relating to the college selection and application process for parents of Burlington High School seniors.

In terms of financial aid, two very important forms were mentioned last night. The FAFSA and the CSS profile. Both forms are now available. We encourage parents to investigate both applications ASAP. Please remember that the BHS Guidance Department will host a Financial Aid Night on Thursday October 13, 2016 at 6:30, Thursday January 5, 2017 at 6:30 and BHS will be a location this year for FAFSA Day on January 29th.

The BHS Guidance Department strongly recommends that senior parents attend a presentation on Thursday, October 13th, 2016 beginning at 6:30 PM in the BHS Auditorium. MEFA will host and give an overview of the financial aid process, specifically in regard to completing the FAFSA. The FAFSA is an on-line form that must be completed for seniors to be eligible for state and federal loans and grants (https://fafsa.gov/). This form is NOW available. Below are specific details about FAFSA changes.

From the MEFA Web-Site

On Sept. 14, 2015, President Obama announced significant changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) process that will impact millions of students. Starting with the 2017­–18 application cycle, the following changes will be put in place:

Students will be able to submit a FAFSA® earlier. Students will be able to file a 2017–18 FAFSA as early as Oct. 1, 2016, rather than beginning on Jan. 1, 2017. The earlier submission date will be a permanent change, enabling students to complete and submit a FAFSA as early as October 1 every year. (There is NO CHANGE to the 2016–17 schedule. The FAFSA became available January 1 as in previous years.)

Students will use earlier income information. Beginning with the 2017–18 FAFSA, students will be required to report income information from an earlier tax year. For example, on the 2017–18 FAFSA, students (and parents, as appropriate) will report their 2015 income information, rather than their 2016 income information.

The following table provides a summary of key dates as we transition to using the early FAFSA submission time-frame and earlier tax information.

The New England Service Academy Information night will be at the Danversport Yacht Club on 11/2/2016. The event begins with dinner at 5:00.School and service representatives attending:
Naval Academy
Military Academy
Air Force Academy
US Merchant Marine
US Coast Guard
Mass. National Guard
Mass. Maritime Academy
Maine Maritime Academy
SUNY Maritime Academy
Navy ROTC
Army ROTC
Air Force ROTC
Norwich University
The Citadel
Valley Forge Military Academy
Virginia Military Institute
US Marine Corps

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

The National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) is pleased to announce its 2016 Boston Performing and Visual Arts College Fair on Thursday, October 27th, 2016 from 7 p.m to 9 p.m. at Boston University – Fuller Building. This program is an important resource for the fine arts students interested in pursuing undergraduate degrees of study in the areas of:

Music
Theatre
Dance
Visual arts
Graphic design
Film production, and other related disciplines.

Students will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from colleges, universities, conservatories, festivals, and other educational institutions with specialized programs in the visual and performing arts. Attendees of these free events will learn about educational opportunities, admission and financial aid, portfolio days, auditions and entrance requirements, and much more.

A workshop on Navigating the Audition/Portfolio Process will be offered from 6:10 p.m to 6:50 p.m at the College of Fine Arts - Theatre Lab.

All participants are encouraged to register prior to attending this event. This will make navigating the fair and collecting information from multiple colleges and universities much easier. By registering, students can print a bar coded confirmation to be used on-site at the fair as an electronic ID. Register prior to attending these events HERE.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Senior Parents and Seniors are reminded that College Planning Night will be held on Thursday October 6, 2016 at 6:30 in the Burlington High School Auditorium. The evening will cover a variety of topics in regard to the college selection and application process. The entire guidance staff will be at this event and we look forward to seeing you.

If you cannot make the event, it will be televised on BCAT. The showtimes will be posted soon.